Don't Ask
by eponay
Summary: A demon mother back form the dead, and the questions that lie between them. not slash.


Don't Ask

Constantine stood in the bleak light of his apartment.

Chaz was late. Beeman had come and gone. He had slept maybe two hours last night, dreams of hell intermingled with a few ragged hours spent at the sink, spattering up his life's energy, had left Constantine frazzled exhausted and bad tempered. Beeman had already been given the best of his temper. Two hours late, irritated Constantine slammed down a tin of cheap instant coffee and emptied a rough measure into a stained mug. The jug had already boiled. Steam wafted up into the air, Constantine slowly filled the mug. As he sipped he thought, at least there had been no exorcisms necessary, thank god. Constantine laughed dryly to himself. There he did have something to be thankful for. He coughed, the memory of the last tormented chained up teenager, whom he had just saved, only just, wafting pasted his eyes with the steam from the cup. Breathless he put the mug down unsteadily on the sink. He coughed some more. His doc had warned him it was aggressive, well he was learning what that meant. Constantine fled to the bathroom, coughing up a little more of the bubbled filled blood. Red on white.

Outside Chaz hovered in front of the door, knocking hesitantly at the door. Constantine tried to get control of himself. Oh screw it, Constantine thought and just gave in to it. Chaz was late let him wait. Chaz gave up knocking and sat in the hall as the hacking sound came muffled from the apartment. The sound of Constantine's illness was familiar to Chaz, but every now and again Chaz couldn't help but to cast a worried glance at the door.

Eventually Constantine got to the door, looking pale and a little worse for wear despite his effort to dress in a new white shirt. Black dead eyes greeted the delayed Chaz, who nervously hung inside the doorway that bore symbols of protection. Symbols carved with both haste and power. Nervous fingers traced the symbols, and then stopped as Constantine took notice.

"I am sorry I 'm late."

"It's over two hours kid you're just lucky I didn't call someone else."

"Oh but who else would trust to carry your bags."

Constantine smiled in spite of the miserable way he felt the kid had some courage, but he didn't let Chaz see.

"True." Dead pan.

Chaz looked back as they went down the stairs, but couldn't tell if Constantine liked his small witticism.

"I need you to drive out past Mullfield." Constantine said in a more serious tone.

"What's out that far?"

"Just drive kid. We will be lucky to get there before dark now." Constantine sputtered out with annoyance.

"Ok, jeeze I only wanted to know why we are going three hours out of town."

Chaz pulled out of the drive. Constantine was about to say more in the way of reproof he was seriously pissed off at the teenager, but he found himself coughing sharply, painfully. Why the hell had he picked such a curious young man for an apprentice? More coughing. Constantine took a swig of the cough mixture form his pocket and closed his eyes. He was tired today. Mullfield, the thought of that place did not warm him.

Out in the road the warm noon sun baked the car and Constantine, for once found restful sleep. Chaz headed out to the highway. He took a quick glance at his mentor, yep still asleep. Chaz worried slightly. The midday sun hid nothing and he could see the toll things were taking on his mentor. Dark lines under his eyes, blood dried in corners of his mouth and there was sallowness in the skin. The three day growth didn't help, Chaz smiled Constantine was getting lazy. But it was more than that. He knew it was bad. He had taken Constantine to the hospitable once or twice. But he didn't know how bad. He didn't dare ask. A semi over-took with them, rocking the car as it hurtled past. Chaz put his thoughts aside and concentrated on the road. More miles finally passed before Chaz turned off the highway into Mullfield.

Mullfield.

As if he knew they had arrived at their destination Constantine woke up and ordered Chaz off the road in a tight wheezy voice. They stopped at a roadside dinner. Constantine bid Chaz make some decisions about food, while he went into the back.

Chaz ordered a couple of burgers, and they didn't really have anything else, the woman behind the counter asked what he was doing in town. She was younger than Chaz, pretty blond. Chaz tried to look cool, tried to think of something charming and snappy to say, just drivin, was all that came out. In truth it was all that he knew, Constantine hadn't told him why they were here at all. Not that he did well with women any way though he wasn't sure why.

Chaz gave himself a break, he had been on the road for three hours, and up since five that morning so that he could do his normal taxi run, so that he would have enough cash to pay the bills before picking up Constantine. Chaz sat down, eating his burger and drinking a soda, enjoying the taste of the fresh patty and sauce. Chaz had to admit to himself he lived a little hand to mouth, so a square meal was a bit rare. He had known taxi driving was not exactly a lucrative career, and then there was Constantine; he paid him, well when he remembered. Constantine had given him five hundred bucks once but that was a while ago. Chaz would find his payment rolled up in the glove box after Constantine had gone. Never once did he thank him and pay him to his face, but then Chaz never asked. It wouldn't do to ask, Chaz felt that would make him less apprentice more simply a driver. But in turn that meant sometimes things were tight. Chaz finished his meal and eyed off his masters. Where the hell was he? Chaz ordered a bunch of fries and nibbled.

Constantine came back to the table, in a rush, looking paler than he should. The light was going, Constantine glanced out the door measuring time by the light. Chaz was stuffing his face.

"Come on lets go."

Constantine jammed the food in a takeaway bag and they left. Chaz started up the engine and wondered at Constantine's new mood.

"Alright where to?"

Chaz liked asking this question, he found it to be the only one Constantine could not avoid.

"Take the next left."

Damn it, Chaz cursed in his head, it was like driving for the secret service. Constantine's directions took them to outskirts of the town. Four thirty and the sun was coming down.

Mullfied was an onion and sorghum town.

Dirt poor, accept at harvesting time, there were lots of old failed businesses here. They pulled up outside an old power station. High ceiling and huge glass windows, walls painted over white and faded blue, holes in the roof boarded up with tin. Deserted. There were no other buildings near by just dead empty fields. Chaz turned off the engine.

Constantine reached out with his senses. He was in the right place. Chaz felt the atmosphere change their languid drive was over and Constantine was alert, there was something in that building.

The shadows were lengthening over the empty fields. Before the exorcist could give his usual stay in the car order, Chaz jumped out enthusiastically and began unloading the car. Constantine took his usual bag from his apprentice, and considered what to do with the boy. He felt the teenager's eagerness, that was Chaz's weakness. The car would the boy's greatest defense. Constantine adjusted the standard instructions to "stay 'inside' the car".

"Inside Chaz, Understand?"

Chaz looked a little disappointed.

Harsh yes; but the boy had loosely reinterpreted his orders before. This time he had to be sure. Chaz nodded, a question already on his lips.

Constantine heard the building, it growled at him with malevolent energy.

"Remember Mrs Saltzman." _The woman I couldn't save,_ Constantine thought but didn't add.

Chaz remembered Mrs Saltzman's house, he had never seen Constantine look so sad. Chaz had come in after it was over, the demon had destroyed the bath and then killed Mrs Saltzman, viva some electrocution. It was the most confronting scene Constantine had ever let Chaz see, and that was because he had been partly electrocuted as well. If it had not been so horrible, Chaz would have teased the exorcist about his lack of eyes brows, if he had dared.

"This is Mrs Saltzman's home town." Constantine explained.

Chaz understood. Electricity building. Made sense.

Constantine pulled out the ring of silver disks, methodically holding them up to the shadowed building.

Chaz thought he heard something.

Who was it? One disc caught the sinking light of the sun. St Peter.

Constantine felt the surge of power first. Every window on the east side of the building began to tremble. Constantine threw Chaz to the ground as the power surged again. The windows closest to them exploded showering them both with glass.

Constantine rolled over letting Chaz up. Carefully picking glass off them both and coughing at the same time. Chaz stared bug eyed at the building, now indigo in afternoon light. So shocked he made no objection as Constantine almost angrily reached down pulled Chaz up and then stuffed him into the car. Hmm still surprisingly strong for an old guy, Chaz reflected. Watching Constantine stride toward the building, he appeared utterly fearless and Chaz engaged in a little hero worship. Constantine was going to end this demon good, Chaz was sure.

Muttering Latin phrases of protection Constantine opened the heavy bolted door. Unlocked what a surprise, he thought sarcastically to himself, though he knew that didn't bode well. Almost where he expected to find her, Constantine gazed up. Hell. The woman was stretched limb to limb between the electric wires and the old abandon building hummed with power. With a grim smile Constantine took st peter out of his pocket.

"Mrs Saltzman, your family is missing you. Come on down." The exorcist's called into hollow cavernous space of the abandon building, arrogantly taunting the demon.

As if on cue the possessed corpse did a hideous dance on the electrified wires. With her face contorting, the creature began to speak.

"No. My family is up here bearer of st peter. They are here to dance as well."

Constantine groaned, as two children appeared in the dark of the factory's boiler. Terrified they stared around them.

_Oh my god_ they were still alive.

Even if they lived... they must have been four and seven. Constantine had no time to complete his thought as the animated corpse drop down on to him.

Constantine fought, shoving st peter into her worm ridden chest. She laughed, dashing his face with her nails. Constantine cried out in anger calling out words of power. The creature fled high into the wire again. He could Chase it or free the kids.

The boiler was closer. Constantine ran to the boiler and tried to untie the children. But he found they were bound with cooper, bloody bent wire, he needed cutters. Behind him he heard the demon woman laugh.

No.

He strained his fingers. Take my sister the young boy said. With smaller wrists she had freed herself, almost. He bent the wires and tore her loose almost breaking her wrist as he set her free. The little boy tried to get free. Constantine tried to bend the wire when in the corner of his eyes he saw the demon and stopped.

"Brother!"

He was sorry so sorry. It happened in seconds the demon lit up the electric board, and the little boy vibrated helplessly with electricity. The girl screamed. "Run" he said to her fiercely.

Constantine climbed higher up, making his way up toward the wires via the factory's cat walk. By chance he found the factory control panel, quickly he chose a red button labeled emergency stop and another switch labeled repair. With a grinding sound the wires lowered themselves to the ground. Constantine watched the demon closely as he climbed down to the factory floor. The woman dangled, still, completely inert. As the woman's feet touched the ground a high whirring sound vibrated throughout factory. The power went out, as the emergency stop finally kicked in. The demon began to cackle dementedly, writhing in the wires. The demon's eyes reflected like dark embers in the dark of the factory. One red light flickered near the control panel. He had no desire to fight this thing in the dark. Now or never Constantine thought as the last ebb of light let Constantine see.

Running across the floor Constantine rounded on the demon, now it was caught on the floor. With righteous fury he dragged the demon closer intoning the words that would send the creature back. Eye to eye with the worm ridden monster, he once again took up the st peter medallion.

"You should not have come exorcist." The creature screamed trying to gather back its power. Constantine could hear the humm of the electricity trying to turn back on.

Too late. The exorcist slammed the medal into the creature's eye socket and finished the words that would vanquish the monster.

"Others will come!" The creature half shrieked even as it was pulled back into the rift of hell.

"Let them!" Constantine said with a grim smile. He would be waiting. As the demon screamed in rage, a wave of hateful energy was sucked out of the steel building. Constantine ducked down.

Whompshh!

The roof lifted off the building and resettled as the diabolic power left the room. Mrs Saltzman lay amid the wires, her face and body ridden with bloody open holes. Constantine's eyes traveled up to the little boy, horrifically burnt, his head lay forward on his chest and his body slumped against the machine. Dead. No chance.

Falling to his knees with weakness Constantine waited for the roof to fall on his head. Two dead. A tired cough bubbled from his lips. His chest burned. The adrenaline was fast leaving his body; Constantine closed his eyes and lay down. He needed a moment. A lurching sound came from the roof. He opened one eye and squinted at the ceiling. Moment over. He coughed again and sat up.

From the out shadows the little girl came solemnly and hugged him. Hero-worship in her eyes mingled with terror.

"I didn't know the way out."

Innocent eyes beamed at him.

"Can you take me home?"

The old building shifted and groaned once more. In answer he took up the little girl in his arms and ran from the building.

Chaz, who was not in the car, Constantine mentally notched that up for latter discussion, helped him to put the little girl in the backseat as the building collapsed the behind them: a loud deafening clash of metal in the empty evening. They all paused to watch. Chaz looked an askance at Constantine, his face was torn and bleeding. Ignoring Chaz he returned to the dust of the building, the exorcist spoke words of peaceful rest in Latin, the last rites were not really his place but as there was no one else, it was all he could do. There was always someone he could not save, he thought bitterly to himself.

Safely back in the car they headed out of the town as the dark took over the sky.

"What should we do about the girl?" Chaz asked.

Well her mum was dead, her brother too and who knew about the dad, probably dead too. Constantine tried to consider.

"Let's get something to eat Chaz." he was spent utterly spent, and Chaz heard the unspoken plea, not now. Later maybe Chaz considered. Constantine never used his name; it was normally boy or kid, so Chaz considered this a special request, saving his questions for later. Chaz turned off the road taking them back to the diner.

V The weirdest conversation. v

In a booth at the back of the diner once more Chaz went to order with the little girl. Getting her to talk, Chaz supposed was a good thing after whatever she had seen in that building. Chaz had smelt the burnt flesh and seen the shadowed figure alight with flame in the broken windows. The young girl still behind the counter wouldn't talk to him and had looked at them both like they were murders or worse, until an older woman came and told her to go on her break.

Constantine went to wash the blood off his face, then while still waiting for the food, to smoke out the front, leaving Chaz to care for the child. The older woman ignoring Chaze's inquiries, about the food followed Constantine outside. What was it about him? Chaz wondered with annoyance, why would no one answer his questions? The little girl however, began to talk.

"My mommy was a demon you know. Daddy said she was dead but that wasn't true. She came back." She said all of this with round eyes and a matter of fact voice, as if it were normal for zombie mothers to comeback. Chaz recoiled from the conversation, maybe he didn't want to know after all. Adopting a slightly playful voice Chaz guided the girl to the counter. "Let's get you another soddy pop huh. What one would you like? How about a red one?"

The older woman from the diner found the black clad man coughing and smoking in the car park.

"Nasty habit that."

Constantine didn't reply nobody, absolutely nobody was going to stop him having this cigarette, he needed it badly.

"Um listen," the woman spoke uncomfortably. "I think I know what you are."

Constantine turned to look at her, eyes that stared down demons put the woman off balance and she finished quickly.

"Look it's about the girl. I know her family's all gone, I know she must have seen some stuff. I'll take her."

Was it safe to leave the woman with her? Constantine ran his eyes up and down her.

"Her mother was my friend".

Why did she want the child? A child who obviously couldn't grow up normal after all she had been through. He pulled a drag on the last of the cigarette but the cough caught him unready, he bent almost doubled over, and then had to lean on the side of the building until he got his breath back.

"Um you ok?"

On the other hand...he had no business with a child.

"You know she won't be the same as..."

"I wasn't either."

Constantine looked into her eyes and experienced a moment of recognition. He could leave the girl with her.

He nodded. Good.

Chaz began to protest as the woman took the girl away from him.

Constantine glared at him from the door.

"It's time to go."

"But she can't... we don't..."

Constantine walked out to the car, Chaz followed reticent and ready to argue what wasn't right with Constantine. He had gone too far. It was callous leaving her; surely she had family to be found somewhere.

They stood with the beaten up taxi between them. In the end, Chaz found himself facing Constantine and his argument fell away. Instead, "why?" Chaz asked softly hurt by Constantine's coldness.

Exhausted, regretfully, Constantine searched for answer to comfort Chaz. Why? Because the body of her brother lay encased in a ruin, because she had seen her own mother burn her brother. He saw the little boy go up in flames. He saw the same sad boy following the sister who ate ice cream now in the diner. He had no answers. The balance? The plan? They were not answers he could give Chaz. The question Chaz was really asking ran too deep and haunted both of them, and while Chaz was at the beginning of his search; Constantine knew that he was approaching the end of his. He coughed; he knew this with a physical certainty.

"Don't ask Chaz." he choked out with a wheeze.

Constantine met Chaz's confused eyes, old eyes looking into the brightness of Chaz's innocence. Constantine turned away climbed into the car.

"Don't ask."


End file.
